People Care
by Shakana1
Summary: Nadeshiko comes from a complicated family. When she finally decides to leave, fate, and a little bad luck, bring her to a shady group called the Espada. Rated T for language and suggestive content.
1. The Plan

It was raining when school ended. It was the day everyone had their math finals and 70% of the kids cheated their asses off, including my friend Yui. Of course it was natural for her, but I thought she'd at least be smart enough to hide her number infested arm when the teacher came around. As soon as she was caught, Yui flipped and said I'd given her the answers. All and all, it hadn't been a good day.

Still, school's always better then home. Every thing started when my dad passed away in a car crash. The more time went by the more my mom started to unhinge. We were being sued by his family for money and filed for bankruptcy when we couldn't pay the house bill. That's when _he_ came in.

I never liked thinking my mom was a gold-digger, but in reality she was. A year after the incident she met a guy named George at our local mall. No one liked their relationship because he was a foreigner, but that didn't stop my mom. After a week she declared they were in love. I tried remembering that my mom was out of choices, and if she wasn't George wouldn't be in our lives. It was easy to forgive her, but liking George was a stupid idea.

The second I met him I knew we wouldn't get along. He had that look that just said "_I'm your new Daddy now, so shut up before something __**tragic**__ happens._" Since my mom wasn't in the room I flipped him off and went to my room. Things stayed like that for years. Of course I told my mom he was an asshole, but she was in so much denial it went right over her head.

That brings us here. Since no one could pick me up from school I had been forced to walk in the rain back home. Cars sped by and splashed water up, drenching me in seconds.

"Crap!" I jumped in surprise and started shaking the water off, eventually getting most of the water off. I shrugged it off and kept walking, seeing a intersection ahead. Deep in thought, I started crossing the road during a red light. A car swerved around the corner and honked loudly when I came into view. My hands went to my backpack and clenched down while I ran like an idiot across the road. I kept running ahead in shock and after twelve feet rammed straight into a light post.

Even more alarmed, I scrambled around and grabbed my scattered items. Mentally I made a note-to-self about zipping my backpack up in the future. While picking things up I noticed a few red dots land on my history report. I grabbed my nose with my spare hand and made an "O" face when I realized my nose had broken.

"Oh my God. My nose. Oh my freakin' God!" I yelped, dropping my things again and beginning to panic. What if my mom saw it? What if the teachers saw it? What if Yui saw it? _What if a boy saw it_?

"What the fuck?"

I froze and looked ahead of me, completely missing that a person had been walking up the sidewalk. It was a man, pretty tall and wearing a hoodie. I squinted my eyes and stood up, abandoning the blank papers and pencils that were rolling away. I straightened my shoulders and looked back at him with a glare.

"Excuse me? If you don't have anything else to say, move on, asshole."

I immediately regretted that sentence. He started walking towards me, his hood barely revealing a _very_ annoyed look on his face. I backed up a step and stopped, laughing mockingly. I twitched angrily and picked up my backpack along with a few things, then quickly walked away. From behind me I could feel him staring a hole into my back.

"Man, what a creep." I muttered. After twenty minutes or so I saw my house up the road. In the distance I could make out George standing by the door. As soon as I was in the driveway he started his speech.

"Do you have any idea how late you are? Because you lazed, off me and your mother had to cancel our date. What was so important that made you late?" He yelled, one hand placed "fashionably" on his hip.

I rolled my eyes and sneered back. "I bumped into a guy. Oh and yeah, don't worry, my nose is fine."

"Oh, so you couldn't resist stopping and spreading those legs of yours? Considering it's _you_, I'm not surprised." He retorted, a smirk quickly making it's way across his face.

I gaped at him and started walking towards him angrily, throwing my backpack down and stopping inches from him. I pushed him back angrily and stood my ground. "How dare you! How dare you live in my home and say that to me!"

He shifted quickly and jabbed my chin. His target was probably my face, but his aim landed on my chin instead. My head shot back and I tripped on my backpack, sending me backwards. Luckily the backpack broke my fall. Kind of. The house door flew open and my mom poked her head out, paling when she saw me.

"What happened?" She yelled, running out of the house and helping me up. She turned to George with a questioning face, looking for an answer. I wondered for a minute if he'd actually admit hitting me. Of course I was wrong.

"She slipped while coming up the driveway. The poor dear even hit her nose on the car!" He lied, a perfect look of concern plastered on his face. Instantly my mom looked horrified and glared at the car as if it had "hit me" on purpose.

"That's horrible! Honey, get her backpack. I'll take her to the hospital." My mom turned to me and smiled, kissing my forehead gently. "Oh my, you really are clumsy aren't you?"

I bit my bottom lip and tried to keep my raging line of swears down.

"Name please." The doctor continued asking questions in a bored voice, scribbling down a few notes every time I answered.

"Nadeshiko Rōtasu." I answered, sounding just a bored. Again, he quietly scribbled down some notes.

"Now that it's been fixed, can you tell me how you broke your nose?"

"Is this necessary?" I hissed, wanting to leave. He looked up from his clipboard and shook his head. I smiled at him and jumped out of my chair, quickly thanking him then exiting the emergency room.

I slowed down once I was in the halls because there were so many people walking around. Eventually I saw a sign pointing towards the waiting room. I made my way there and started looking for my mom, knowing she'd be relieved. I spotted her and smiled when she waved happily. A few seconds later I glared when George came into view.

My mom hadn't noticed he was smirking with a victorious look in his eyes. I raised a brow and slowed down, getting suspicious. My mom stood up and grabbed my arm gently, leading me over to them. I sat down next to her and looked around nervously while waiting for one of them to start.

"Honey, George told me everything." She started, sounding as calm and sweet as ever.

My eyes widened in surprise and I gaped again. "Really? He actually did?"

She nodded and looked back at him, smiled, then looked back at me. "I had no idea you felt this way! But Honey, violence is not the answer. All you needed to do was talk to me. I should have seen it earlier, after all, so many other kids have gone through this."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion and shook my head. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

Her smiled widened and she pulled me into a hug. "Lots of kids get jealous of their step-parents. George told me everything, how you lash out at him because I spend less time with you, how you've been wanting my attention, and even about today when you attacked him. I know about it all!" She let go of me and stood up, letting George wrap his arm around her waist. "We can fix this, together."

My mouth went dry and everything stopped. _What?_

I closed my mouth and stood up, smiling. "Oh, I'm so relieved, Mom. This is great, you know? Let's get out of here and get home, then we can start talking."

My mom jumped happily and hugged me, planting a few kisses before going back to George. "Oh my! I'm happy your so enthusiastic about this!"

"Yeah, it helps, doesn't it?" I looked around and spotted a nearby bathroom. "Before we go I need to use the bathroom, ok? Go ahead and get the car running."

She eagerly nodded and skipped away towards the exit, pulling George behind her. He smirked at me then disappeared behind a wall of people. My face twisted in hate and I turned on my heels. I looked past the bathroom and saw another hall way that led to a different wing of the hospital. I hesitantly walked towards it and pushed the doors open, allowing me to quietly slip through.

In a few minutes I found an exit that led into the second parking lot. I licked my lips and looked around nervously, not seeing anyone. I pushed through the exit and into the rain once more, instantly getting soaked. After quickly looking around I panicked and jumped a nearby wall. I landed in someones backyard, luckily missing the owners. I kept jumping fences until I landed on a sidewalk similar to the one I'd walked on earlier.

"Ohhh my God." I whispered, biting my lower lip before bursting into a run. I tried going through possible places to stay, even thinking my Aunt's house would work. I shook my head and remembered that she liked George, then I thought of Yui.

Yui! She would help me! I slowed down and frowned. Would she? After all, she had tried blaming me for her cheating, so would she turn me in if I trusted her? I shook my head again and groaned, annoyed. No, she would turn me over to my parents. I kept running down the main road until there was a dirt path that led off towards a nearby park. I sped up and ran down the dirt road, quickly arriving at the gates. Most parks weren't enclosed, but this one had been under construction for a few weeks.

I grinned and jumped the gate, barely missing a puddle of mud. I ran towards the back of the park and stepped in one of the old gazebos. Luckily they had been well made so the rain wouldn't be pouring down on me. It was still open on all the sides, but hey, it was better then nothing.

"God damn it!" I yelled, cringing when thunder crackled loudly above. I yelped and crouched, half grinning half crying in fear. "T-that was pretty cool. I'm like, a thunder goddess!"

I stood up again and posed dramatically against one of the gazebo posts, a semi-serious look on my face. "As the thunder goddess, I will smite you, George of StupidTown. Feel my wrath as your loins burn!"

A small grin cracked across my face while I imagined that happening to George. I stopped posing and looked around, making sure no one had heard me. Thankfully no one was in sight. I sat down and pulled out my cell phone, checking for messages. As I thought, there were 17 from my mom.

Hun, where are u?

George is coming back. you ok?

Where are you?

Nadeshiko Rotasu, answer me this instant!

Honey!1

Most of them said things similar to those. I sighed and deleted them.

"You know, I tried. But honestly, this is just stupid." I muttered, rolling my eyes. It'd be easy to get a job and support myself, and once I was old enough to legally be by myself, I could go back and confront my mom about George.

In reality I knew that was easier said then done. As a seventeen year old, getting a job would be easy. Avoiding my parents and friends 24/7 was going to be hard. I'd have to drop out of school because that would be the first place they'd look for me, so education would be a even harder problem.

I rolled my cellphone over between my hands and jumped when it started ringing. I scrambled to flip it up properly and see the caller ID just in time. I pressed the talk button and answered calmly.

"Hello?"

"Nadeshiko Rōtasu! You get back to the house this instant!" My mothers voice screamed through the speakers loudly, forcing me to hold the phone away from my face. When she was done I shook my head and answered simply.

"No."

I grid my teeth and hung up. Hearing her screaming and George yelling in the background spiked my nerves a little too much. I stood up closed my eyes, throwing the phone as fast as I could. I frowned angrily and opened my eyes, ready to go searching for it. Man was I surprised to see the guy from earlier angrily holding my phone.

"What the hell are you thinking? I should kill you!" He yelled, starting to approach me. Again, I backed away and held my arms up defensively.

"What did I ever do to you?" I yelled back, getting unnerved when he stepped into the gazebo and continued towards me.

"You throw your fucking phone at me and expect nothing to happen?" He growled, grabbing my collar and forcing me towards him. I yelped and tried pushing away from him, just barely getting out of his grip. I stepped back more and raised my hands again.

"Look man, I'm sorry. I didn't even see you there." I apologized, quickly looking him over. He was wearing the same hoodie from earlier and still had most of his face concealed. That only gave him a even more threatening appearance. From what I could tell he was strong, like, has-abs-and-visible-arm-muscles type strong. He was taller then me too, at least a few inches. I couldn't see his face, but I had a feeling it was pretty nasty.

"You expect me to believe you threw your phone without looking, and by some insane chance, it hit my head?" He said, voice low and dangerous.

_He... He can't be serious._ I thought. I mean, sure he had a right to be angry, but seriously! There's a limit.

"Yeah, and if you don't believe me, then so what? Just because you're an asshole doesn't mean I have to put up with you. I said sorry, so get the hell out of my face." I narrowed my eyes and stood my ground. It was one thing to take crap from a parent, but a complete stranger? Hell no!

He raised a brow and cracked a grin. "Wow, looks like you have some nerve. I like that in a girl."

I pressed my lips into a thin line and narrowed my eyes. "Well sorry, but you're looking at the wrong person."

He smirked and shrugged nonchalantly, stepping out of the gazebo. "Ah, that's too bad. I would've loved to take you home."

I glared into his back while he began walking towards the front of the park, most likely leaving. I frowned and scratched my head nervously, looking around to make sure no one was around. I walked out of the gazebo and picked up my cellphone, dusting the mud off. I looked around for the guy and ran after him, feeling sick.

I guess I was more like my mom then I'd thought.

He glanced back when he'd heard me coming, a smirk on his face. "Oh? Was there something you needed?"

I put on my flirtiest smile and shrugged. "If you're still up for it, I thought I'd join you after all."

He raised his arm and gestured me towards him. I walked over and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders possessively. With his other hand he tugged his hood back quickly, revealing a head of blue hair and his entire face. I flushed brightly and started to rethink my decision. He was smirking in a way that made me nervous, but nothing was said.

We walked for a few miles, not a word exchanged. I looked around nervously and hoped he lived in a nice place, and owned some sort of beer. My plan was to get him so incredibly drunk that he'd pass out, and when he woke up in the morning I'd tell him what a great night we supposedly had. After thinking it over a few times I decided it was good enough.

After twenty minutes we arrived at a large building. It looked like a apartment building with at least five floors. We walked straight to the elevator and he punched the penthouse button, and in seconds we were stepping out. I held my breath and walked as confidently as I could until we got to a door. He pulled out a single key and the door quietly opened, revealing a _much _bigger room then I'd expected.

It looked like a large living room, and there was a kitchen connected to it. There were two halls that branched off from the main room that had a lot of doors. There was something on each one but I couldn't make it out. The guy tightened his grip on my shoulder, making me jump slightly.

He chuckled mockingly and started leading me down the right hall. While walking down I found out that the doors had numbers on them, going from 9 to 5. I raised a brow and wondered what it meant, but before I could think about much we stopped in front of the 6 door.

Again, he pulled out a key and unlocked the door, revealing a simple room. He leg go of my shoulder and let me walk in freely. From behind I heard him lock the door again. My heart literally stopped for a second.

_Oh God, there's no beer. What do I do?_ I thought, starting to panic. I hid it as best as I could and turned back around, flushing when I saw the guy already taking off his hoodie. I licked my lips and quickly looked around for something, across the room I spotted a book on top of his tv. Knowing what to do, I turned back to him and smirked. He smirked back and started walking towards me, but I put a hand out and stopped him.

"Go to the bed and close your eyes, I have a surprise for you." I whispered as sexily as I could. Inside I was mentally screaming and panicking. It grossed me out to see people kiss, so even thinking about _that _was out of the question.

He smirked and raised a brow, looking amused. Luckily for me though, he did what I said and laid on the bed. As quietly as I could I walked across the room and grabbed the book then slowly made my way back. I walked to the front of the bed and quietly whispered in his ear.

"Sit up a little, would you?"

He did. I positioned myself carefully and prepared to run in case plan B didn't work. As hard as I could, I slammed the book against his head and waited for a reaction. He slumped forward, knocked out. I jumped victoriously and smirked.

"Hell yeah! I just beat you! _With a book!_"

**A/N: Well, this turned out a lot more suggestive then I thought it would.. It was the only way I could set up the story though, so it'll have to do! Sorry about the late character introduction, and the really late canon appearance. In a way this is like the prologue introduction. :D**


	2. Getting Acquainted

I sighed and rolled over onto my other side, repositioning myself into a comfortable position where my face was against the floor. The carpet was rough and scratchy against my cheek and quickly irritated it enough to wake me up. I streached out before lazily standing up and looking out the window, hazily wondering what time it was.

Everything was wet and dark from the rain, but at the same time healthier and freasher then the day before. I smiled briefly then opened the window for some fresh air. After taking a few breaths I turned around, my smile dropping.

"Where the hell is he?" I whispered, eyes going wide. There was no sign of the blue-haired guy, not even a trace. Panicked, I grabbed all of my stuff and went to the door. I jiggled the handle quietly and sighed when when the door creaked open.

From down the hall I could hear the sound of video games roaring along with three or four people yelling in excitement. I paled and wondered how many people were in the apartment. Five? Ten? Fifteen? Even if there were only three I wouldn't be able to beat them.

I pushed the door open a little more and crouched. I peeked down the hall to make sure no was watching then started quietly moving down. In a few seconds I reached the end and looked into the living room. There were three guys, two of them playing a game and the other one watching. I smirked sneakily to myself and saw that they were all sitting on a couch facing oposite of the exit so I'd be able to get out. After taking a deep breath I quickly started moved across the living room and over towards the door. Luckily there was a counter for me to hide behind when I got there.

I stood up slightly and quietly jiggled the door until the lock clicked and opened. I sighed in relief then froze in horror, slapping my hands over my mouth. I glanced behind me and locked eyes with one of the guys, a tall lanky guy with blank hair. He looked confused for a moment then narrowed his eyes. I turned back around and started opening the door. Hearing the couch creak and people yelling was the only movivation I needed to jump up and run like hell.

"Shitshitshitshitshit!" I swore under my breath and ran towards the elevator. After pressing the down button 50 times the doors finally jingled and opened. I started to jump in but a hand grabbed my shoulder and started turning me around. I yelped and flipped around to see the person, only to come face-to-face with the black-haired guy.

"You little bitch-"

Panicked, I kicked him in the nuts and flipped him into the elevator. The doors closed again just as he was getting up. Other voices started getting louder and I turned down another hall and found the stairs. Without hesitating I ripped the door open and started jumping down the stairs.

I licked my lips and tried to stop hyperventalating. "Holy crap! What the hell is wrong with them?"

After jumping down one last flight the lobby exit door came into view. I grid my teeth in and pushed through it. The lobby was almost empty other then the clerk and a few middle-aged couples. I sighed in relief and ran out into the parking lot. Just like the lobby, it was basically empty.

I stopped running and started looking around for a route that would take me away quickly. Thinking of getting away reminded me that I had nowhere to go other then home or the public library, and obviously I chose the library. Satisfied with my choice, I started jogging down the sidewalk. I saw a corner up ahead and prepared to turn but stopped when someone rounded it.

I started to apologize but then jumped back when I saw it was the blue-haired guy. "Mother 'effer!" I yelled, jumping back in surprise and cringing when his face twisted in anger.

"You bitch! You hit me with a god damn book!" He yelled, throwing his bag down and grabbing me by the collar.

I bit his hand and jumped back while he swore. "Fuck off!"

His head snapped up in response and he started walking towards me again. I looked across the street and got ready to run as soon as trafic cleared but stopped when I spotted the tall black-haired guy running towards us looking pissed.

_Oh my god how the hell did he get here so fast?_ I took a deep breath and stood straight, squaring my shoulders and centering myself. By the time the second guy arrived I had completely composed myself. Kind of.

"Wow Grim, looks like you actually caught her." The lanky guy smirked and started looking me over in a way that spelled out C.R.E.E.P. I rolled my eyes and looked back to the blue-haired guy. He still looked insanely pissed but wasn't saying anything.

After a minute or two I started freaking out when neither of them said anything and continued to stare at me, then finally, I thought of something to say.

"Look, I'm sorry for bruising you and all, but seriously. It's not a big deal. Let's make this simple, how about I give you some cash as a "apologie" and be on my way? It's a win/win situation, you get rid of a girl who hits you with books and some spare cash, and I get to go and get some breakfest." By the time I'd finished everything seemed to have gone well, until they smirked.

The blue-haired guy stepped towards me again and continued smirking. "Or how about we take you back for a little chat? I like that plan a lot better."

I gave him a obviously fake smile and shook my head. "Sorry, but sometimes we don't always get what we want, now if you don't mind, I need to get going."

With a tiny burst of courage I turned and started to walk away, feeling proud. A few seconds later he grabbed my shoulder and started turning me back around, which only made the next part worse. As soon as he touched me I'd spun around and thrown a punch which went a lot faster because he was moving forwards me. I hit him in the cheek and he stumbled back into the other guy before regaining his composer and coming back at me.

This time I started running instead of walking. They barely had a chance to start running before I was going back up the sidewalk and towards more populated areas. Of course, I would have to pass through their apartment building's parking lot but it wouldn't matter as long as I went right past it. As soon as the parking lot came in sight I sped up and aimed to shoot right through it but was tripped as soon as I turned to enter.

Slamming face-first into asfault immediately broke my nose (_**again**_) and sent a spark of pain through my entire head. A set of arms roughly jerked me up and into a standing position while I staggered around in a attempt to stop the contant spinning. I could barely register being ussured back into the building and into the elvevator. A few minutes later I'd been shoved back into the apartment and into a kitchen chair while someone started tilting my head in all sorts of different ways.

When my eyes finally focused I saw a green-eyed guy looking at the damage on my head. He had raven black hair and an aloof look that seemed permanently etched into his face, which got pretty eerie after a few minutes of silence.

After waiting a few minutes I causiously decided to ask a few questions. "What are you doing?" When he didn't answer I frowned and tried again. "What are you doing with my face?"

His eyes momentarily flickered towards mine before looking somewhere else. "I'm looking at your wounds, be quiet."

"Who cares about her "wounds"! Just let her bleed out for awhile, might get rid of some bitchy-ness. Get over here and see what happened to my cheek." I reconized the voice and knew it was the blue-haired guy, and he _still_ sounded pissed.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "What, did my little-girl punch hurt you that bad, pansy?"

From across the room I heard the couch creak and he immediately came into sight as he marched into the kitchen looking like he'd kill me. Spooked, I pushed the green-eyed guy away and stood up to stand my ground. "Have a problem?"

He snarled and lunged towards me. "I'm gonna break your fucking neck-"

"Stop, Grimmjow."

I turned towards the voice and saw _another_ guy coming towards us, followed by... a little girl. Confused, I awkwardly scratched my head and waited for the next thing to happened. The third guy walked straight past everyone else and stopped a few feet from me.

"I'm Starrk, who're you?"

"Shiko." I answered slowly and narrowed my eyes. What kind of guy was he? With my luck, the bad type seemed like the obvious answer.

He nodded and looked back to the other two guys, a hint of annoyence in his eyes. "And what is she doing here?"

That's when the blue-haired guy lurched forward again and started yelling. "She fucking tricked me and camped in my room for the night!"

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. _Well maybe if you weren't so stupid that could've been avoided!_

Starrk didn't seem fazed by the yelling and kept a straight face before turning to the green-eyed guy. "And you Ulquiorra? How long did you know she was here?"

_Ulquiorra_ shrugged slightly before answering. "I only became aware of her when Grimmjow dragged her in from the parking lot."

I mentally repeated his name a few times before it sounded right. Who names their kid _Ulquiorra_? And Grimmjow? I glanced at the blue-haired guy and figured it was him. The three of them kept "talking" for a few more minutes before focusing back on me. Their entire conversation was a mix of yelling, questions and insults all thrown around, and little by little people were peeking down the hall in curiosity. For a minute I thought I'd seen something pink, but it must've been my imagination.

"Why did you need a room?"

I flushed slightly when I realized Starrk had repeated the question twice before I'd heard it. Without thinking much about a fake answer I just told the facts. "I needed somewhere to stay and he offered."

"Yes, but don't you have an apartment or something?" He asked, a hint of irritation in his tone.

I shrugged and shifted my weight onto one leg. "No, I don't. Money isn't really throwing itself at me either so an apartment isn't an option."

He raised a brow and briefly looked me over. "You look like you should be in highschool, where are your parents?"

"Oh, sitting happily at home, no doubt. Maybe having a cup of tea, who knows." I answered sarcasticly. "Me and them are happily seperated."

"I see." He answered, and after a short pause he started again. "Do you have a place to stay?"

"No." It was a simple answer, but that's all that I needed to say. There was no use lying to strangers if they really didn't care, and besides, they were probably going to kill me anyway.

He nodded and paced around the kitchen for a few moments, which is something to say considering how small it was. After a minute he stopped and looked at me with a small smirk.

"Have you ever heard of the Espada?"

The word immediately clicked and a memory sprang up. For years rumours of the Espada and their 'work' floated around school and the entire town. There were times when it was the only thing people talked about, during class people would pass notes, in gym people would run next to each other just to hear any news about them. One day Yui, me, and a bunch of other girls started trading the information we knew. I, of course, had absolutely no freaking idea what they were talking about, but it still sounded serious.

"_The Espada! I can believe you've never heard of them!_" Yui had practically screamed at the time. "_They're the type of people you never want to meet. The kind of people that can make a grown man freeze in fear just by looking at them! They've done things... Terrible things. They lurk all over the south and west sides of town, just waiting for someone to slip up. The Espada are no ordinary "gang", no, they're... organized. Their leader, whoever he is, he's got the power. The kind of power people fear._"

At the time I'd brushed off everything she and the other girls said because really, they were probably some low-life pack of idiots who couldn't even tie their shoes and could hold a gun. People get scared of anything if it can hurt them enough.

But now, seeing the guy known as Grimmjow smirk and the almost mocking look in Ulquiorra's eyes, I had a feeling I'd been wrong. Really wrong because these guys... These guys had a feeling to them that was unnerving, and I didn't need Starrk to tell me that they were members.

I nodded as care-free as I could and smiled. "Yeah, I've heard of them."

"Good. With that out of the way, would you like to stay here, with us, until you can find a place of your own?" Starrk asked, this time his smirk was more of a friendly smile. It made me feel a lot better.

I bit down on my tounge and thought deeply for a moment. What would happen if I did choose to stay? To _live_ with members of the _Espada_? Then again, would it be worse then living on the streets scrambling for food and shelter? But still, sure I'd be fit and comfy, but getting involved with _those_ type of people would come back to bite me in the future. That was a no brainer.

Who would care? It's not like I'd have a mom or dad to yell at me, or even a sibling who'd be concerned. There weren't any friends I could depend on or miss, so really, what could I lose by jumping in? After all, there were only three or four members in the house, it's not like the entire gang is stationed in one apartment building!

I shook my head and took a deep breath before standing up straight and looking him in the eyes. "You know what, that sounds great. I'd love to."

From across the room Grimmjow groaned angrily and kicked one of the walls, creating a small hole. "Why does a bitch like her get to live here? It's not even your decision!"

Starrk ignored him and smiled at me. "Wonderful. Now, come meet the rest of us."

I nodded and followed him into the living room where Ulquiorra had already moved. He gave me a small nod then looked off in another direction. I smiled and liked that he was being semi-nice to me. Starrk instructed me to stand in one of the corners until every one was out of their rooms. I did so and silently hoped that my new roommates were nice. Other then Starrk, the small girl, Grimmjow, and Ulquiorra, there would only be one or two more people to get aquainted with.

After a minute or two a new face poked into the living room. She was tall and looked to be in her mid-twenties. I tried getting a glance at her face but the strange turtle-neck she wore made it impossible to see most of it. She gave me a small nod and I did the same in respect. She seemed like a quiet person, in other words, a good roommate.

When more and more people shuffled out I started feeling a twing of panic. There were at least 12 people in the room. That was more then a few roommates. After ten minutes Starrk signalled me over to him and the room went quiet. I made my way over and did my best to ignore the eyes that were practically glued to my back. He gave me a quick smile then cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.

"Introduce yourselves."

One by one people started saying their names and giving nods. With every name I strained to mentally pronounced each one. I gave up after "Aaroniero Arruruerie". By the end I'd started panicking even more because with every person I knew they were a Espada and I was going to live with them.

When Starrk tapped my shoulder I felt my throat go dry as he spoke. "This is Shiko, she'll be joining us."

A series of smirks spread through the room and there was a thick silence until someone spoke. "She'll need to pass the initiation first." It was the turtle-neck lady from earlier, Tier Hallibel.

From behind me Starrk nodded. "Yes, that's true."

I narrowed my eyes and turned around, whispering. "Initiation? What for?"

While people chatted amongest themselves Starrk gave me a curt explination. "You're joining the Espada."

"Oh." I leaned away and quietly swore under my breath. Starrk called everyone's attention again and started back up. I moved a few feet away from him in order to call off attention, but it was useless.

Starrk turned to me and smirked faintly. "Before you become a Espada you need to pass an initiation test."

"What's the test?" I asked, trying to sound unfazed.

Before answered he asked one last question. "You're familer with the Soul Reapers, right?"

Once again, the name immediately clicked. The Espada wasn't the only group that people talked about. On the same day I'd learned about the Espada Yui told me about their biggest obstacle.

"_The Soul Reapers! In a nutshell, they're the good guys in town! They all hang around the north and east sides of the city, protecting people and places from the Espada! Whatever they lack in strength is made up by their numbers! There are even a few members at our school! They're all so friendly and nice, it's hard not to like them!_"

I nodded at Starrk and waited for him to continue.

"To pass the test you need to do one thing. Steal one of Kenpachi Zaraki's bells."

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><p><strong>AN: Well, I think this turned out okay! Now you know the background and etc. The next chapter should be fun. Reviews are always awesome. :)**


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